When Fairy Tales Just Don't Cut It
by Erie Maxwell
Summary: Chapter two: In which the situation of Ranma is begun, and he starts a new life
1. Default Chapter

When Fairy-Tales Just Don't Cut It  
  
Once upon a time...  
  
'Akachan! Hey akachan, what's the matter? Do you want your bottle?'  
  
Akane Tendo sat rigid in her desk, attempting to ignore the catcalls around her. It had been like this for months, ever since her mother- but Akane would have rather preferred not to think about that. The rumours alone were enough to sink her already peevish feelings, while the truth usually sent her off to some quiet spot for a few hours so as not to ruin her recently dwindling popularity any more than she could help. Hence the reason why she did not feel the need to respond to the various cries aimed at her. Kei Tanaka just wasn't worth the bother of yet another phone-call home.  
  
The boy in question smirked, 'Look, you're gonna cry! Do you want your mommy?'  
  
'Kei!' a soft voice hissed, 'Are you bonkers? Didn't you hear what happened when her mother upset her?'  
  
''Yeah,' another piped in, 'I hear she lost it and –'. The girl wrapped a hand around her throat and made choking noises, 'Well, you know'.  
  
... And that was it came down to, in the end. Her sisters had drawn into themselves, her father was not all together there anymore, and so she was apparently a murderous derelict. Clenching her fists tightly, Akane slowly swivelled around in her seat and glared viciously. Her foot seemed to move by its own will as it introduced itself to the nearest child's shin.  
  
She was six years old and she was completely alone.  
  
* * *  
  
For five glorious years, Akane had what she considered the perfect life. Her family home was within walking distance of most everything a child could want, save the circus. There were parks to run through with her sisters, playgrounds to visit with her friends, an overgrown lot that had been abandoned some thirty years before by the Nerima Police Force in favour of a training lot closer to the station, and best of all her father's dojo, where she could watch her father work or on special occasions, even train with the students.  
  
However, the shining light in Akane's life was her mother, who may have stayed in the sidelines at times but was the point that Akane could use to have something to aspire to. Nadesico Tendo cooked, cleaned, and generally smoothed out all the glitches in her family's life, and Akane wanted to be just like her.  
  
Of course Nabiki, Akane's elder sister, was much better inclined towards the life of a homemaker than a girl who spent a considerable amount of her time either play- fighting with school friends, or practice-fighting with her slightly older friends. Even the eldest, Kasumi was a better choice for the career, considering that she was quickly growing into quite the brilliant cook. However Nabiki was tops, as although what she cooked was simply extremely good, she could provide variety in what she cooked, at least as much as one would expect from a six-year-old. She had a good head for managing a household, and might surely have become as much her mother's darling as Kasumi was had it not been for Nadesico's untimely demise.  
  
It was later whispered among the adults that flittered around Akane's father afterwards that she had been lucky when she chose to stay behind at school to help a friend clean up, but Akane tried to block these words out. The neighbours had no right to say that, they didn't know what had really happened. The truth of the matter was that she had secretly skulked home at lunch, hoping to pocket a bit of food without her mother catching her and asking why she seemed to have a blackening eye. Sadly, things had not worked out as she planned and the end-result was screamed down at her from the stairway: namely a long, angry upbraidal, filled with harsh words about her 'uncontrollable behaviour' and how Nadesico could no longer handle the children's 'ridiculous arguments'. Akane had been too frightened to say anything at first, and spent some time wondering what had become of her gentle, loving mother. However, she eventually managed to adjust enough to announce just as shrilly that she would leave right now if that's what her mother wanted and running off to spend the rest of the afternoon in the abandoned lot. That was were she had been when Nabiki and Kasumi had gone to her classroom and been told by a loyal Sayuri that Akane was staying behind with her, and that was where she had stayed all through their stroll home, as they had walked through the halls of their home looking for their dinner, and as they had raced upstairs, Kasumi clenching a scrawled note the two had found in the kitchen, explaining to Soun that it had been fun but this was where Nadesico got off.  
  
That was Akane's secret. As her mother had lain dying, she had been sulking a few streets down.  
  
A/N: Right, so here's the start of my fairy-tale. Tell me what you think please, and I promise I won't be keeping it so very dark. It's impossible for me, anyway *laughs*. R/R greatly appreciated. 


	2. In Which A Very Different Character Is I...

Chapter Two: In Which A Character Most Unlike Our Hero Is Introduced  
  
It was a widely known fact that Genma Saotome was not particularly good at goodbyes. It was not that he had no feeling when it came to his son. He merely could not see the manliness element in sobbing every time the boy left the house.  
  
Still, Ranma reflected, acutely aware of the enormous hand on his back, it was times like these that his father never ceased to amaze him.  
  
'Now sir, you're to return here on this day in three years, or we'll be having FRESH croissants for our breakfast. Do we understand each other?'  
  
Genma nodded eagerly to the man.  
  
'And you're positive this boy is Him, Lant?'  
  
An affirmative squeak escaped from a spot beside Ranma's left foot, but he dared not look down at that moment. He was far too frightened as it was.  
  
The towering man with such a firm grasp on Ranma seemed satisfied with that answer and, nodding towards an advancing line of people dressed in riding gear Ranma had not noticed earlier, said 'Very well sir. We shall see you off as far as the forest edge.'  
  
Genma stared, 'And... my reward?'  
  
A small smile played over the man's broad face, 'Ah, of course. How could I have forgotten?' With a flick of his hand, another row of people appeared, these carrying armloads of jewels, fabrics, and foods. 'We will of course provide you with a wagon, should you require it. Good day; say goodbye to your father, child.'  
  
Ranma half-heartedly waved to his father's retreating back. He ached to scream and cry, but that wouldn't be worthy of a future man-among-men. Besides, Ranma had bigger problems now.  
  
He was alone with the Giants.  
  
His father might not have noticed what type of school he had been bought into, but Ranma could see very clearly. He had nicked a book full of fairy- tales from the library at his last school, so he knew what would happen. This wasn't the sort of place a human should be alone in, not at all. If he had only known, he would have run away again. At least then he'd have been safe.  
  
With a gulp of air, Ranma bravely turned around and looked up into the dark, craggy face above him. The man didn't actually seem all that much older than Ranma, now that he could see him in the light. The clothes he wore were far too big for him and hung over him, bunched up in areas which gave him the appearance of being larger than he was, but his features were spread out far apart from each other, as though they belonged on a much smaller face. Still, the boy-giant was obviously still much larger and stronger than Ranma, a good three or four feet over his three-and-a-half.  
  
'Hello Boy,' the boy-giant said, looking solemnly down at him.  
  
'Ranma', he corrected unconsciously.  
  
The Giant ignored his remark expertly. 'If you'll follow me please, I'll show you to your dorm,' he glared. '...Tiny thing, aren't you? Well, don't just stand there gawking, pick up your bags and let's go.'  
  
* * *  
  
As it turned out, the room Ranma was placed in was quite nearby. He would be with four other children, all of who were asleep when he was quietly pushed into the room.  
  
'An escort will be provided in morning to walk you through your classes, ' Ranma's escort whispered loudly, 'Breakfast is at seven, so try to get some sleep.' He abandoned the suitcase he had snatched out of Ranma's hands a few minutes before, claiming it was slowing them down, in front of an immense four-poster bed, turned around and strode out the door without another word.  
  
Pulling himself onto the top of the mattress, Ranma surveyed the room, and more importantly, it's occupants. He had prepared for immense blobs, so was he surprised at how small they looked. Why, they barely covered the told fold of the blanket! Still, he reasoned with himself, it was most likely the distance that through him off. The room was the size of a small meadow, dotted in random places by a bed identical to the one Ranma sat on. Glancing at the floor, he suddenly noticed that it seemed to be carpeted with a soft-looking bluish moss.  
  
He knew he would have to sleep soon though. Already he could feel his eyelids drooping downwards, too heavy to support themselves for much longer. Crawling under the duvet, he sleepily wondered why the floor seemed to be swaying slightly before drifting off to sleep.  
  
A/N: All right, so this is much less depressing than Chapter One, hopefully. I'm a bit worried that I only got one response, and an anomonous one to boot, but ah well.  
  
However, regarding that: as much as I appreciate constructive criticism, I would like to know what exactly you thought 'sucked' in there, if you could please get back to me. Just e-mail me, if you'd like, it's erie2222@hotmail.com 


End file.
